Ontario

The name Ontario, from an Iroquoian word sometimes translated as meaning "beautiful lake" or "beautiful water", is apt, since lakes and rivers occupy one-sixth of the province's total area of just over one million square kilometres. The word was first applied in 1641 to the easternmost of the Great Lakes, and "Old Ontario" was used to refer to the southern portion of land nearest the lake and was applied to the whole province in 1867.

Canada's most populous province; as with the rest of Canada, most of the population lives within 200 kilometres of the US border. (Northern Ontario is so sparsely populated that the provincial map notes which towns up there have phones.) Ontario is regarded by many outside it as hopelessly arrogant and self-centered, but it's also undoubtedly the heart of the Canadian economy.

Most Ontario cities and towns have carefully preserved historic buildings. You can see accurately rebuilt forts and pioneer villages around the province, including Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg and Fort William in Thunder Bay. Some towns, like Niagara on the Lake and Elora, make a special effort to preserve the flavour of the past. In Ottawa and Toronto, the distinctive parliament buildings are permanent reminders of their history.

Some Ontario superlatives include:

Ontario is home of many of Canada's most prominent universities (Toronto, Queen's, McMaster, Waterloo). Click here for a full list of Ontario universities.

Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world.

Ontario Hydro is the largest electrical utility in the world.

Alexander Graham Bell placed the world's first long distance telephone call from Brantford to Paris, Ontario.